Thursday

Thursday Night

Friday

Living Images

Pay phones

The assignment was to show the decrease in pay phones and pay phone activity in North Central Washington. There were a few pay phone locations that I looked at, the first in Orondo at a gas station but I wanted to make my photograph at night and that phone doesn't have any light source to it. My other option that I knew about was the phone booth at the train station in Wenatchee. I liked that idea because of the booth and also, I noticed there was a light panel in the booth.

I went there last Monday night at a time when the train was arriving from Seattle, camera on tripod, and waited for something to happen. I was hoping for either someone to use it or at least be using a cell phone next to it. (Notice the light in the booth isn't on)

First, the train arrived.

Then people wandered by on their way to their cars. But finally, a person wandered by, looking for her ride that wasn't showing up. She eventually went into the booth and tried looking up a phone number - but the phone book was missing. That made for an interesting photograph and told the story of a unmaintained booth. This is the image we'll use.

But I like this pose and expression better as she looks around for another option to get the phone number. It's too blurry though.

This was funny as she had to stoop down to insert the coins. Not sure why the phone is mounted so low.

Earlier in the day, Mike Irwin was able to find a local business that repairs and stores pay phones. I shot a posed photograph of the manager with some of the phone booths.

From what I see so far, it will be a very interesting story about something that is disappearing from our culture.